Every trip I take somehow ends up becoming a bike and coffee (and sometimes beer) tour. We did some preliminary research on chowhound and coffeegeek for the coffee and beer and found a place for bike rentals. Also handy was this interview of Stumptown owner Duane Sorensen by Oliver Strand of the New York Times It’s been a couple of months since our trip so my memory is a bit hazy but I’ll try to piece things back together with the help of these photos and the internets.
Die Koffie Salon Storefront
Coffee was my first priority. We walked from our hotel to de koffie salon (Utrechtsestraat 130) based on recommendations from one of the above threads. Patisserie Kuyt is across the street and these two were probably taking pictures of the storefront. I did the same later, of course.
Impressive looking lever machine at Die Koffie Salon.
not as impressive-looking espresso from Die Koffie Salon
The espresso from Die Koffie Salon was pretty disappointing. Light-bodied and not so good. Drinkable though. I don’t remember much else about it. We moved on to across the street.
Patisserie Kuyt storefront
Patisserie Kuyt was a treat. We ended up getting a variety of sweets, including the famed Appeltaart.
Bike rentals were from Dam Bike (New 26). Cheap bike rentals, pretty crappy bikes. But most bikes in Amsterdam were crappy. We had some brake and wheel-truing problems, but hey, we didn’t expect much. Another factor in choosing this bike rental place: we didn’t have to ride the super touristy orange bikes. We were still touristy of course.
Nespresso storefront
I stopped in here to see if there were any Nestle-fueled single serve espresso innovations. I didn’t see any, but I did see some (apparently top secret) designer Nespresso machines. There were patterns screen printed on some of the plastic panels. They kicked me out of the store for taking photos. First time for a coffee shop – in the past it’s usually been for taking pictures in churches.
Lots of orange going on – we were nearing the quarterfinals of the the world cup.
women walking along albert cuypmarkt
After hanging out for a bit in Vondelpark, our next stop was Stumptown Amsterdam. The market was super crowded and the actual store front was obscured by tents. Lots of semi-crappy stuff but it was all interesting nonetheless.
an overexposed view of stumptown amsterdam
stumptown amsterdam: cupping station
Stumptown Amsterdam had a similar feel to other Stumptown locations but also had a more boutique-y feel to it. The barista was a bay area guy (if I remember correctly) and it sounded like a pretty sweet gig to be working at that pop-up coffee spot with an apartment paid for by the Stumptown folks.
stumptown espresso
The espresso was predictably good, of course.
Bazar
Dinner was at Bazar (Albert Cuypstraat 182). We got some sort of kebab platter and though I was stuffed afterwards, I was intrigued by their mint syrup + ice cream + fruit dessert combination.
dessert at Bazar.
Canteloupe, honeydew, apple, grape, ice cream, whipped cream, mint syrup, pineapple, and strawberry. The mint syrup was too sweet for my tastes but it was an interesting combination made a bit refreshing by the mint.
Albert Cuypstraat, post market
The market had shut down and the cleaning crews were tidying the street as we walked out of Bazar.
Albert Cuypstraat, post market
biercafe gollem
A recommended beer place, Cafe Gollem (Raamsteeg 4), was nearby, so we sat down and had a beer. Good selection with a very low-key vibe. The only thing that sucked was a woman sat down next to us and started smoking. The breeze was blowing all of her smoke right at my face. She must have had about 3 cigarettes while we had about 2 beers.
biercafe gollem – at the bar
We left Cafe Gollem to return our bikes to Dam Bike and then walked home.
dam square at night
kind of a sweet bike design.
It doesn’t look very practical but it’s kind of cool how the rack is integrated and how there’s tons of standover clearance. The decal says “Nationale Postcode Loterij” Not sure why they’ve branded a bike with their decals or who the manufacturer is though.
the intercontinental amstel amsterdam hotel
The last shot of the night was of the fancy-looking InterContinental Amstel Amsterdam Hotel (Amstel Hotel). FIVE STARS PLUS!
bread in a basket. The lighting in the bar was wonderful.
Crocks and jars with pickles and pickled carrots. The stoneware crocks have a little “moat” around the rim that is designed to seal the pickling contents from outside air when filled with water.
Ringo watches carefully
Colorful potatoes
angry christina mustard
The Alexander Valley Bar has some pretty sweet decorations.
There’s a large garden outside of the Medlock Ames tasting room and a few sunflower fields just in front of the grape vines.
Pears ready to be sliced for salad.
Heirloom tomatoes for the salad
Pear slicing
Onion slicing
The dried and crushed sumac berries added a lemony taste to the onions
The picnic table outside had a custom trough that could be filled with ice to keep the wine cool. The ice trough was very well done and was perfect for the day.
Potatoes, tossed in salt, angry christina mustard, and olive oil and then roasted in the wood oven.
Adding a little more seasoning to the potatoes
Pickling demonstration
Lunch is served
waiting for table scraps…
Barlata 
